How to Choose a Knife Set: The Knives You Need, Forged vs Stamped

How to choose a knife set in one line: check for a good chef’s knife plus a paring and a bread knife, then judge the set by those three and ignore the piece count. Most cooks use three or four knives; extra utility knives and a row of steak knives mostly fill the block. Forged or stamped matters less than how the handle feels in your hand and whether you will look after the edge.

Kitchen knives are essential pieces of equipment that you invest in for your culinary love. Whether you’re a professional chef or a keen gastro newbie, a perfect set of knives is a must for any kitchen.

Indeed, cooking becomes much more manageable and improves if you have the right blade at your fingertips. Good quality kitchen knives reward you with safety while enhancing your culinary skills simultaneously.

This article will help you pick the ideal knife set.

Types of Blades

There are two basic methods for making knives: forging and stamping. The method affects the weight, balance and price of a knife more than how well it cuts. Both of these types of blades come with their own set of pros and cons.

Stamped

Stamped blades are machine-made from large continuous sheets of stainless steel. The machine cuts out the shape of the blade, which is then heat treated, ground, sharpened and fitted with a handle.

Stamped knives do not have the best reputation. However, the manufacturing process constantly enhances over time. Hence, the quality of stamped knives is improving. Chefs and culinary professionals are in perpetual debate about whether forged or stamped knives are better.

Stamped knives are lighter and often a little more flexible, and they are the way to go if you require an arsenal of kitchen knives for different purposes on a low budget. A good stamped knife, like Victorinox’s Fibrox Pro, cuts as well as many forged ones.

Forged

The main body of a forged knife is a single steel bar, and it is generally more robust and stiff. The metal heats up till it is red-hot and is then molded into a strong blade. Forging requires either a specialized automated machine or a craftsman’s expertise to yield a finished blade.

Forged knives are so durable that they can even outlive the chef if you maintain them properly! Isn’t that fascinating? They usually have a bolster and feel solid in the hand, and many cooks like that weight, though it doesn’t make them cut better.

Although the blade is heavier than stamped, the weight is well balanced, so they do not feel heavy when used.

Both these types of knives come in a wide variety and range of prices. It is best to never compromise on the quality of a kitchen knife set that you will frequently be using.

Your Four Basic Kitchen Knives

Chef’s Knife

Chef knives are multi-purpose knives that are about eight inches long. These jacks-of-all-trades are made of stainless steel, carbon steel or high-carbon stainless.

Originating from France, the distinctive features of the knife include a prominent point and a sloping curve, which allow you to master the signature rocking motion technique.

Forged or stamped, a good chef’s knife should feel balanced and grip well when your hand is wet. They excel at simple tasks such as chopping herbs or mincing garlic and more complex ones like slicing beef. Also, they are great for carving. A multi-purpose chef’s knife is the most common choice amongst household kitchens as it is practical and very efficient.

Paring Knife

A paring knife tends to be lightweight. It has a slim and short blade with a pointed tip. These features make it easy to handle while doing the delicate cutting. This type of knife is, above all, for cutting fruits and slicing vegetables. However, you can also use it to peel, trim or remove seeds.

Utility Knife

Utility knives have a sharper tip that works best when you need to do more intricate work. This knife has a similar appearance to the chef’s knife, but it is slimmer and compact. All in all, it is more suitable for detailed tasks. When the chef’s knife seems a bit too big to do the job, you can always go for your utility knife to do a more precise cutting.

Serrated Knife

A serrated knife, also known as the bread knife, is a handy utensil that includes a long blade paired with a sharp serrated edge. The serrations are perfect for slicing tomatoes, cakes and pastries. For roasts and brisket a long slicing knife does a cleaner job, since serrations tear tender meat.

The serrated edge makes it ideal for slicing through all sorts of bread: including the crusty ones and even bagels. The grooved edge prevents the crushing of softer items during slicing.

Sets with all four of these, and not much filler, are what I looked for in my best knife set under $200 guide.

Beyond the Basics: Other Types of Knives

Cleaver

Cleavers are knives that butcher raw meat or ham with their flat, rectangular blade. This type of knife is one of the heaviest, and sometimes it features a hole near the spine of the blade for hanging purposes.

Salmon Knife

These knives have very long, narrow and flexible blades with a round tip, made for cutting thin slices of smoked or cured salmon. Filleting a whole fish is a job for a fillet knife, which is shorter. Few sets include either, so buy one separately if you need it.

Nakiri Knife

Nakiri knives look a little like small cleavers, but their blade is thin and light and made only for vegetables. They are the go-to tool for chopping vegetables with a straight up and down push cut, the whole flat edge meeting the board at once. Also, they’re great for garnishing, as you can use their sharp edge to make thin, even slices.

Peeling Knife

These knives, also called bird’s beak or tourné knives, feature a short blade that curves inward with an extremely sharp edge that you can use to peel fruits and vegetables. The sturdy handles and rigid blades prevent the small knife from slipping while peeling, subsequently making it much safer and comfortable.

Conclusion

Finally, don’t forget that choosing the right blade for the real purpose is an investment in your love for food and cooking. Apart from knowing how to choose a knife set, the way you maintain your knives can hugely impact their durability. Store them in a block or on a magnetic strip so the edges don’t knock against other tools, hand wash and dry them right away to prevent rust, and hone them regularly.

When you’re ready to compare actual sets, see my best knife sets under $100, the best knife sets overall, or, if you want to know what a typical block holds, which knives usually come in a knife set.